Thanks for all the wonderful comments. I'm 52 (and a half!) and have been painting off and on since high school. More off than on. I studied some in college and since have done a few years here and there of non-academic courses. Mostly I do it because inside of me there is an artist demanding expression.
In fact, I first got into quilting in the mid 90s after moving to DC from California. In the move, I "lost" my painting studio and had no good place to paint in my new home. So I picked up quilting because of all the colors (which is what I really love about painting, anyway-- color play). Little did I know then that so many of you quilters have sewing rooms the size of good painting studios OR LARGER!!!
Lynda, the portrait above is oil paint (and yes, from a model). I also work in chalk pastels.
-- Jillaine